Nov hearing for Morcombe murder accused

5 Sep 2012, 2:12 pm   -   Source: AAP

The man accused of killing Daniel Morcombe will face the first part of a committal hearing in late November with more evidence to be heard in early 2013.

The man accused of killing Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morcombe will face the first part of his committal hearing in late November.

Brett Peter Cowan, 42, has been in custody since his arrest in August last year, when he was charged with murder, child stealing, deprivation of liberty, indecent treatment of a child and interfering with a corpse.

Daniel was 13 when he vanished while waiting for a bus on the Sunshine Coast in December 2003.

Cowan appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday as his lawyer, Michael Bosscher, asked that the matter be set down for committal hearing for two weeks from November 26.

A further two weeks of evidence will be heard early next year.

Mr Bosscher also sought an order to compel 20 witnesses, who had been hypnotised or undergone regression therapy in the hope of triggering their memories, to attend court to answer questions.

He also asked to question people who told police they may have seen Daniel and his abductor at the bus stop.

Mr Bosscher said the Crown had already consented to the cross-examination of a large number of witnesses, but was resisting his request for these particular witnesses to appear.

He said there were many discrepancies between their police statements and the evidence they gave during the 2010 inquest into Daniel's disappearance.

However, prosecutor Glen Cash told the court Mr Bosscher had given "no significant reasons" why these witnesses should give evidence before a trial.

Chief Magistrate Brendan Butler will deliver his decision next week about the bulk of the witnesses in question.

Four of the witnesses will be the subject of further legal argument at a later date.

Daniel's parents Bruce and Denise Morcombe were not in court for the hearing as they were on a trip to Barcaldine to launch a new child safety program to be taught in schools across the state.

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